Bradley Cooper has always managed to stay relatively tight-lipped on his relationship with model Irina Shayk, and in 2019, People confirmed that the couple had officially broken up. Since they share a child, they’ve obviously remained in contact over the years since, especially during lockdown. In the summer of 2022, it was rumored that they were considering getting back together, and maybe even expanding their family.
Here, a breakdown of the couple’s private four years together, and the suspected rekindling.
April 2015: Cooper and Shayk were first spotted together by sleuths for Page Six, who saw the new couple at a performance of Finding Neverland on Broadway. At the time, a source told the paper that it was “a friendly relationship—for the time being.”
A few days later they attended the Vanity Fair-Bloomberg White House Correspondents’ Dinner party in Washington D.C. but reportedly “kept any obvious flirting to a minimum.”
Both Cooper and Shayk had recently come out of long-term relationships. In January, Shayk split with her boyfriend of five years, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, after rumors of Ronaldo’s infidelity became public, while Cooper had ended his two-year relationship with actress Suki Waterhouse in March.
May 2015: The first official photos of the couple came the following month when paparazzi found the pair strolling around New York City arm in arm.
Both Cooper and Shayk attended the Met Gala early in the month, though they arrived and left separately from the high-profile event. Still, Page Six spies reportedly saw them “making out” until the wee hours of the morning at Rihanna’s after party at a nightclub in Manhattan.
A week later the new couple seemed much more comfortable with their P.D.A. as they were photographed kissing in the daylight hours on the streets of London.
June 2015: In June, the couple made their Buckingham Palace debut at a dinner for The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Foundation hosted by Prince Charles. According to Us Weekly, Cooper and Shayk were a little confused over what fork to use during the meal, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying the evening together. A source told the magazine, “Irina is smart and mature. They have a great connection. Bradley needs a girl who can keep up with him.”
August 2015: Later that summer, the couple took a romantic vacation to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, where they were photographed gazing into each others eyes on a rocky beach. If there were any doubts left over their relationship, these photos quickly put them to rest.
September 2015: Shayk met Cooper’s mother, Gloria Campano, over Labor Day Weekend in 2015 as the trio hung out on the beach together in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
A week later, Shayk and Campano headed out in New York City for a walk with Cooper’s dog, Charlotte. During this time, a source told E! News, “Irina is just so happy how things are going with Bradley. She adores his mother and they get along great.”
Shayk and Cooper’s mother walking his dog.
October 2015: While the couple wasn’t prepared to make their relationship red carpet official, they did attend the premiere of Cooper’s film Burnt together, even inviting both of their mothers to come along.
November 2015: The couple took the next big step in their relationship the following month, with Cooper moving into Shayk’s New York apartment. Cooper had previously been checking out apartments in the city, a supposed “bachelor pad,” according to the New York Daily News, but gave up the hunt to move in with Shayk in the West Village.
March 2016: Almost a year after they started dating, Cooper and Shayk made their red carpet debut at the L’Oreal Red Obsession party during Paris Fashion Week. Their appearance during fashion week dispelled some burgeoning rumors that the couple had split, and Cooper had moved on to another supermodel, Naomi Campbell.
A source told Page Six, “Bradley and Irina are both friends with Naomi.”
During Paris Fashion Week, the couple also attended the Opera together for the Arop Charity Gala, where Shayk gave a standing ovation despite everyone else around her being a dud and staying seated.
May 2016: The couple attended the 2016 Met Gala together, offering a rare public glimpse into their romantic life as they held hands briefly on the red carpet.
July 2016: More rumors of trouble emerged after Cooper and Shayk were seen at Wimbledon in London, where the couple appeared to be arguing, causing Shayk to shed a few tears. However, photos of the couple at the match show them looking smiling, happy, and chatting. Shortly after a video of the alleged fight went viral, reports came out that her tears were just the result of hay fever. Naturally!
Later in the month, the couple took another Italian vacation, this time hitting the beaches of Lake Garda.
November 2016: In November, Us Weekly reported that Shayk and Cooper were expecting their first child. The model showed off her ever-so-slight baby bump while walking the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Paris.
December 2016: First comes a baby, then comes marriage? A new emerald ring on Shayk’s left hand ignited rumors of an engagement to Cooper, but the couple remained mum on any new changes to their relationship.
March 2017: Cooper and Shayk welcomed their first child on March 21, a daughter named named Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper.
July 2017: A few months after becoming parents, the couple took a star-studded vacation to Tahiti with Allison Williams, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, and Diane Von Furstenberg. Further proof that if the couple knows how to do anything, it’s vacation.
October 2017: That fall the new parents headed out in L.A. for a family trip to a pumpkin patch in Los Angeles. Shayk walked the dog while Cooper held Lea in a baby carrier.
January 2018: A few months later, they enjoyed another family outing to Sunset Beach in Los Angeles, where 10-month-old Lea crawled in the sand and sat on her dad’s shoulders while Shayk looked on smiling.
May 2018: The couple made another rare red carpet appearance at the 2018 Met Gala, where Shayk wore the same emerald ring that was spotted on her left hand over a year earlier. Still, neither Cooper or Shayk discussed the engagement rumors.
Later that month, the couple enjoyed a quiet date night, sneaking in a side door for a screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Before the film, they spent time mingling with other celebrities like Tiffany Haddish and Ali Hewson.
August 2018: The couple turned the Venice Film Festival into a family affair in August. While Cooper was there to promote A Star Is Born, Shayk and daughter Lea accompanied him, being photographed riding on boats and walking around the city.
October 2018: While press for Cooper’s Oscar-nominated film A Star Is Born was at an all-time high that fall, rumors of a troubled relationship began to circulate. A source told Page Six, “They are miserable together. They have been for months. He doesn’t drink and is into spirituality. She wants to go out.”
December 2018: But rumors be damned! In early December, Cooper showed his support for Shayk, attending the Versace fashion show in New York where the model walked.
A few weeks later the couple looked happy during a family trip to Disneyland. A source told Us Weekly, “They were all smiles and looked like they were having such a fun time. When I saw them, they were leaving Disneyland and heading to California Adventure. He was carrying [Lea]. I was walking in between him and [Shayk], so I saw him look back laughing and gesturing for her to come up next to him.”
January 2019: The couple started off the new year with a red carpet appearance, attending the Golden Globes together on January 6, where Copper was nominated for Best Director and Best Actor for A Star Is Born.
A couple of days later, Shayk also accompanied Cooper to The National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala, where they were photographed seated at dinner together.
February 2019: In early February, Shayk explained the couple’s need for privacy during an interview with Glamour UK.
“I have a lot of friends who share a lot of their personal life on Instagram or social media, very publicly,” she said. “I admire it and I think it’s great—but I think it’s all about personal choice.”
She added: “Because my work requires me to be out there, I just decided my personal life will be quiet. That’s why it’s called personal, because it’s something for you and your family, and I feel happy with it.”
Cooper has also explained why he prefers to keep his relationship with Shayk to himself. During a 2017 interview, Howard Stern asked the actor why he wouldn’t want to flaunt his model girlfriend to the world on red carpets.
“You’re right, it’s so great to take someone you’re with to a place where a hundred people are going to photograph you every step you make and ask you tons of questions, and then rip it apart the next day,” he replied. “No, no, no, no, no.”
Still, the couple’s romance seems to be going strong despite their hectic schedules. Shayk attended the Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards on February 2, and during Cooper’s acceptance speech at the BAFTAs on February 10, he thanked Shayk for “putting up with me.”
“I also need to thank Irina for putting up with me while I was trying to make music in our basement for a year,” he told the audience.
Later at the Oscars, the first hint of scandal emerges, although it is brushed away just as quickly.
Cooper performs “Shallow” with Lady Gaga during the ceremony, and their chemistry-filled duet sparks affair rumors. Both Shayk and Lady Gaga shut them down.
Shayk debunks them through her actions: She hugged Gaga during the show. And a source told Us Weekly days after that Shayk hadn’t been bothered by Cooper and Gaga’s big moment because she knew it was acting. “Irina knows that Bradley and Gaga are artists,” Us’s source said. “It’s a nonissue for her. They were in character putting on an Oscar performance.”
Gaga, meanwhile, tells Jimmy Kimmel that they really were just acting, and it was staged. “Yeah, people saw love, and guess what? That’s what we wanted you to see,” she said. “I mean, this is a love song, ‘Shallow.’ The movie, A Star Is Born, it’s a love story. We worked so hard. We worked all week on that performance.”
April 2019: People reports that after his award season campaign, Cooper has been prioritizing spending time with his family. “Since the awards season ended, Bradley spends every day with his family,” the outlet’s source says. “Most days, Bradley and Irina take Lea out for activities together. Sometimes they just stroll on the beach. Bradley and Irina seem great.”
June 2019: Trouble really starts brewing as the month begins. Page Six is the first outlet to report that Cooper and Shayk are on the cusp of breaking up. “Because of their daughter, they keep trying,” a source says. “Things are not good. Neither one is happy. The relationship is hanging by a thread.”
Then The Sun, E!, and Us Weekly join in.
The Sun reports that Shayk has moved out of the home she and Cooper shared in Los Angeles. A source close to the couple tells the outlet that, “Things are cooling off between Bradley and Irina in a big way. They haven’t been good for a few months and Irina decided it would be best if she moved into her own place. It’s not looking like there’s much long left for the two of them together.”
E! reports that the two have been “questioning” their relationship for a while. “Things get a little bit better but then they find themselves back in the same place of questioning whether being a couple is what’s best,” E!’s source started. “They want to stay together for their daughter, but neither of them are very happy.”
“They’ve spent time apart to test the waters and see if they are better off,” the source continued. “They have a lot invested and it’s very difficult to completely walk away from. They are trying out different arrangements and trying to find their way. They love their little girl dearly and that’s not going to change no matter what.”
Us Weekly is told by a source that “they aren’t calling it quits yet, but they are not in a great place.” But significantly, the outlet reports a source said that Shayk and Cooper’s struggles have “nothing to do with Gaga.” A second source adds that “nothing romantic” happened between Gaga and Cooper when they played each other’s love interests in A Star Is Born.
Finally, People reports on June 6 that Cooper and Shayk are officially done. An insider tells the outlet that the two”are amicably working out how to share custody of their daughter Lea De Seine.”
August 2022: Irina Shayk shared some photos of a family vacation on Instagram, in which she and Cooper are enjoying each other’s company and the company of a bunch of feral pigs.
A source told Page Six, “It was a real family getaway and they are considering getting back together… She would like her daughter to have a sibling.”
The source continued, “They both [Bradley and Irina] haven’t gotten serious with anyone else and they are both into the idea of having a kid… It’s not Bennifer 2.0 where the other person is always in the back of their head, it’s more like, ‘why not?’ They have to deal with each other anyway since they are parents together. They are both thinking, maybe it’s time to finally really settle in.”
The two “get along well and enjoy each other’s company.”
During the previous year, Cooper had been linked to Huma Abedin, while Shayk enjoyed brief flings with Vito Schnabel and Kanye West.
November 2022: In early November, rumors of a reconciliation were stoked even higher by some paparazzi photos of the duo in NYC being described as full of “PDA.”
They are a little handsy in the photos, with Cooper wrapping an arm around Shayk, and Shayk having her hand on Cooper’s behind in one shot. Both their arms are wrapped around each other in another. You can see the photos here.
Later that month, a source told Page Six that Cooper is on board with making another baby together.
“He is on board to expand their family,” said a source. “They are trying to get pregnant.”
However, it seems “marriage is probably not on the table.”
The source added, “Bradley seems to have a European laissez-faire attitude towards the institution.”
Erika Harwood is a writer covering fashion, beauty, and pop culture.
